International Car Free Day

medoramas
medoramas Posts: 202
edited September 2011 in Commuting chat
www.metta.org.uk/car_free_day.asp

Does it mean we should be driving today? ;-)

Seriously talking did you guys notice any difference with the traffic volume/cyclists number today? I didn't, maybe because it was 5 am and 99% of South Devon population was still in bed, but I'm wondering what will I see later on today...

How is the situation in bigger villages, like London, Manchester etc.? ;-) Is it really a Car Free Day?

Comments

  • mousetoo
    mousetoo Posts: 53
    There was a a car free day demonstration/ride/march in the City (in London) but if anything the traffic was heavier this morning than is usual
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    If we don't know about it, it's a pretty silly event.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • medoramas
    medoramas Posts: 202
    mousetoo wrote:
    There was a a car free day demonstration/ride/march in the City (in London) but if anything the traffic was heavier this morning than is usual
    Maybe all those extra cyclists and pedestrians were slowing the traffic down... ;-)
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Hmm, it's like International Pie Free Day at a football match. It ain't ever gonna happen
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Seriously? A hippy dippy site on alternative medicine. It's members probably don't need cars - instead they float on little clouds of smugness.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    If anything, the traffic was worse this morning around here than it has been all week.
    FCN 2 to 8
  • nation
    nation Posts: 609
    Traffic was pretty light this morning on the main drag that I use (Lichfield Road) but I put it down to the broken down car preventing anything that came down Gravelly Hill from getting onto Salford Circus.

    So...

    maybe?
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Pretty poorly publicised - can't have a carfree day if no one knows about it - International Talk Like a Pirate Day was more successful - AaaaaaaaaaaaaH
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    It was publicised a lot, some of you must be living in caves
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    I didn't know about it. Is it the sort of thing that appears in the metro which we don't get to read due to not needing public transport?
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    northstar wrote:
    It was publicised a lot, some of you must be living in caves

    Really?! Where was it publicised? When I heard about this (from this thread) I asked a few of the people I work with if they'd heard about it - 0/8. The majority on this thread didn't know about it...
    FCN 2 to 8
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    it was in newspapers, twitter, cycling news websites
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Hadn't heard about it.
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    northstar wrote:
    it was in newspapers, twitter, cycling news websites

    All of which I read, yet it still passed me by...
    FCN 2 to 8
  • medoramas
    medoramas Posts: 202
    Never mind if it was publicised enough or not - WE TOOK PART IN IT ANYWAY! And that fcukin matters :)
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    medoramas wrote:
    Never mind if it was publicised enough or not - WE TOOK PART IN IT ANYWAY! And that fcukin matters :)

    Yeah - I only did 360 miles in my car today....
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Don't read newspapers or use twit, didn't see it on any cycling websites - like I said poorly publicised
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    medoramas wrote:
    Never mind if it was publicised enough or not - WE TOOK PART IN IT ANYWAY! And that fcukin matters :)

    What an angry person you seem to be

    Surely the point of a Car Free day is to make it Car Free - if motorists don't know about it they don't have the option of leaving the car at home do they ?
  • medoramas
    medoramas Posts: 202
    Jay dubbleU wrote:
    medoramas wrote:
    Never mind if it was publicised enough or not - WE TOOK PART IN IT ANYWAY! And that fcukin matters :)

    What an angry person you seem to be

    Surely the point of a Car Free day is to make it Car Free - if motorists don't know about it they don't have the option of leaving the car at home do they ?
    I'm an angry person? :-D. Belive me, I'm not at all :P

    Regarding the CFD - is it not the same day every year?
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    medoramas wrote:
    Jay dubbleU wrote:
    medoramas wrote:
    Never mind if it was publicised enough or not - WE TOOK PART IN IT ANYWAY! And that fcukin matters :)

    What an angry person you seem to be

    Surely the point of a Car Free day is to make it Car Free - if motorists don't know about it they don't have the option of leaving the car at home do they ?
    I'm an angry person? :-D. Belive me, I'm not at all :P

    Regarding the CFD - is it not the same day every year?

    My apologies - capitals are usually used when someone is shouting - my point is that whilst some cyclists know about it surely you should be telling motorists ?
  • Andrew N
    Andrew N Posts: 119
    Check this out from Riga in Latvia today

    http://www.diena.lv/diena-tv/dzive/velo ... o-13904981
    www.goinggoingbike.com
    _____________________________
    online marketplace for all things bike
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    northstar wrote:
    it was in newspapers, twitter, cycling news websites

    I've tried to like Twitter but don't really get it. Why oh why?

    Newspapers - don't read them any more as I cycle to work rather than catching the train.

    Didn't know about it until I read this thread.
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Nice one Latvia 8) 8) 8) Love the flower girls
  • Applespider
    Applespider Posts: 506
    I only heard about it on the radio this morning as part of a very poorly worded news item about the protest planned on Blackfriars bridge which basically suggested it was the cyclists wanting it changed to inconvenience that cars. My colleagues didn't know anything about it either.

    However, the roads did seem quieter tonight as I headed home so perhaps the message got to some...
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    Joelsim wrote:
    northstar wrote:
    it was in newspapers, twitter, cycling news websites

    I've tried to like Twitter but don't really get it. Why oh why?

    Newspapers - don't read them any more as I cycle to work rather than catching the train.

    Didn't know about it until I read this thread.

    Fair enough, I only read one newspaper exc the local.

    tbf Twitter is full of a lot of crap but I use it as a rss/news feed, you find out things quicker, great for cycling news and whatever else interests you.
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • Drysuitdiver
    Drysuitdiver Posts: 474
    and leytonstone did theris on Sunday 19th September just to be different .
    Veni Vidi cyclo I came I saw I cycled
    exercise.png
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Yeah, twitter is very useful if you just follow news sources (Reuters, BBCBreaking, Bikeradar). It can get congested if you follow a load of 'lifestyle' tweeters though.

    Back on topic, I also didn't know about this, there was something on the BBC local news about someone riding to work on a BSO for the first time. But that's the first iI heard of it, and 6:30pm is a bit late for most people to change their commute for that day:wink:

    If the thing was publicised better (putting it on a cyclling news site is no good, because the people reading it probably won't be driving anyway) then I think people would take some action, it's more likely than if they just didn't know about it.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • shm_uk
    shm_uk Posts: 683
    Surely the point of a Car Free day is to make it Car Free - if motorists don't know about it they don't have the option of leaving the car at home do they ?

    Why do motorists need a specially labelled day telling them when to leave the car at home?

    They're free to make the choice every day. If they actually cared.
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    shm_uk wrote:
    Surely the point of a Car Free day is to make it Car Free - if motorists don't know about it they don't have the option of leaving the car at home do they ?

    Why do motorists need a specially labelled day telling them when to leave the car at home?

    They're free to make the choice every day. If they actually cared.

    I really hate it when people politicise cycling

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